As a lover of literature, I've been intrigued by the BabyLit series of board books that uses aspects of classic novels to introduce young children to concepts like counting, colors, opposites, etc., as well as books in other series such as Anne's Colors. So I was excited to see that something similar had been done with Bible stories.

Let There Be Light is an "opposites primer" focusing on the creation story in Genesis. Each double page contains an opposite word on each side, and a Bible verse associated with that particular contrast. One thing I liked was that not every verse was from the Genesis story. By also using verses from books like Psalms and Jeremiah, the book takes on a grander scope, and emphasizes the creation from more than one point of view. Occasionally "primers" can become a bit contrived when they reach a bit too far to make a story fit a concept, but I didn't get that feeling from this one.

I also love the illustrations, especially the use of contrasting colors, and the way that even the concepts that are used a bit abstractly in this story (quiet/loud, work/rest) are portrayed in simple, colorful ways that make sense. This would make a great gift for a baby or toddler!

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Danielle Hitchen
Illustrator: Jessica Blanchard
Pages: 20
Content Advisory: None

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I enjoyed this book about Robert Bateman, Canadian painter, naturalist, and conservationist, even though I'd never heard of him before reading it. The best part is the artwork -- the book includes several of his paintings of animals, natural sights, and people exploring, and they're beautifully realistic. Some of them I could hardly believe weren't photographs at first glance.

The text is fairly spare and straightforward, and focuses on his observations and growth as a painter -- in many cases it simply names different things that he painted, so this book would work well for young children with short attention spans, though the artwork should appeal to all ages. At the end there's a longer biography of Bateman's life and work.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Margriet Ruurs
Illustrator: Robert Bateman
Pages: 40
Content Advisory: None

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We've read a few of the board books in this series, and found them a very fun and foundational way to introduce science topics to preschoolers. In Baby Loves Quarks!  we learn that quarks are like the building blocks of everything around us, because they make up atoms, which make up molecules.

I like how this is communicated in an ordinary way, with the illustration of a baby building a tower of blocks, which keeps the concept at a concrete level that young children can understand. We've also enjoyed Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering! which looks at flight, but begins simply, with a bird.

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Board book
Author: Ruth Spiro
Illustrator: Irene Chan
Pages: 20
Content Advisory: None

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Mister Seahorse struck me as kind of repetitive when I first read it (and it is), but my two-year-old really likes it and requests it often, so it's grown on me. 

The illustrations are amazing as usual, with bright, nontraditionally colored seahorses. The narrative itself is interspersed with some fish that "hide" behind nearly-transparent pages, which is fun for kids. 

The other great thing about this story is that it focuses on fathers in the animal kingdom. Even though the fish here are anthropomorphized enough to talk to each other, they are still representatives of actual fathers in the animal kingdom who take care of their own eggs/children. I think this is much needed in the often mother-dominated depictions of animals and their babies in children's literature (and everywhere else). 

Scrounged From: Our local library first, board book version from Amazon

Format: Board book
Author/Illustrator: Eric Carle
Pages: 34
Content Advisory: None

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Ollie is a really cute book for preschoolers, all about Ollie -- who is still in his egg and won't come out. Gossie and Gertie try different ways to get him to hatch out of there, but every time the response is "I won't come out!"

By the end, these resourceful birds figure out that sometimes all it takes is a little reverse psychology! I like how this book is repetitive in a way that will draw young children in, but not to the degree of driving the adult reader insane. Plus, the little birds (goslings, I assume?) are totally adorable.

This is one of a series, and we've also enjoyed Ollie the Stomper, in which Ollie gets a lot more actual "face time."

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Hardcover
Author/Illustrator: Olivier Dunrea
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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